Container having dispensing aperture and related structures

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a container having a hollow shell defining a body with a dispensing aperture, and a bag within the shell, the open end of the bag extending through the dispensing aperture and being secured with respect to the outside of the shell. The bag is made from a material suitable for containing the intended contents of the container. The shell may be formed from a material that would not be suitable for containing the intended contents of the container alone. The shell may be formed from a biodegradable material, such as wood or paper pulp. The bag may be separated from the main body of the container to allow for separate disposal. The container may be sealed by providing a spout through which the contents of the container are to be dispensed, and by folding the spout over to create a nip which seals the container.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/096,120 filed Jun.4, 2008 and entitled “Container,” which claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. §371 as a national stage entry of International Application Ser.No. PCT/GB2006/004534 filed Dec. 5, 2006 and entitled “Container BeingProvided with An Inner Bag,” which claims the benefit of GB 0611137.1filed Jun. 6, 2006, and GB 0524789.5 filed Dec. 5, 2005, the entirecontents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a package and to a method of forming apackage. The invention particularly relates to a package that is easilydisposable.

DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART

There is a general environmental desire to reduce the amount of wastegenerated, and to re-use or recycle waste materials where possible. Aparticular concern is the amount of material used to create packaging,and the problems associated with the recycling of packaging materials.

Various different types of packaging are known for different types ofproduct. The different types of packaging have different environmentalissues associated with them, which may include issues associated withthe raw materials used for the packaging—for example whether thematerials are virgin or recycled, and the disposal or recycling of thepackaging materials—for example whether these can be safely disposed of,recycled, or not.

Traditionally, many beverages such as wine, beer and milk have beensupplied in glass bottles. The glass used to make these bottles mayitself be recycled. However, the energy required to make the bottles ishigh. Also, the weight of the resulting packaging is high, increasingthe amount of energy required to transport the products. Whilst theglass can be recycled, this does require that the bottles are separatedfrom other waste, for example by users separating the glass bottles fromother household waste for collection. Therefore, it is often the casethat glass bottles are disposed of with other waste. In this case, theglass bottles may be disposed of in a landfill site. This is a problemsince, unlike some other forms of waste, glass is not biodegradable.More recently, it has become common to use bottles made from plastics,such as PET, for liquid such as milk and carbonated drinks. In thiscase, it is common for the bottles to be formed from virgin, i.e.non-recycled, material to ensure that the liquid contained within thebottle is not contaminated as could be the case if the containers wereformed from recycled material. Whilst the material itself could berecycled if separated from other waste, as with glass bottles thisfrequently does not occur due to the need for the waste producer, suchas a householder, to separate the containers from other waste material.Again, if the container is disposed of in a landfill site or the like,the bottle is not biodegradable. Also, bottles take up a volume largerthan that of the material itself due to their hollow, rigid, structure,and therefore take up an excessive amount of space in a landfill site.

It has also been proposed to package liquid in laminated cardboardcontainers, for example in Tetra-Packs (Trade Mark). In this case, thecardboard from which the body of the container is formed may be recycledmaterial. The cardboard is laminated with a waterproof coating. Thisboth ensures that the container is able to hold liquid, and also acts asa barrier between the liquid and the cardboard which can preventcontamination of the liquid from the cardboard. This is especiallyneeded where the cardboard is formed from recycled material. A problemwith such packages is that they are difficult to recycle, and thewaterproof coating prevents them fully decomposing. If it were possibleto separate the waterproof coating from the cardboard, the cardboardcould be biodegradable. However, this separation is difficult. Theproblem is exacerbated when a plastics dispensing nozzle or cap isformed as part of the package for dispensing the contents. This isanother component that would need to be separated before the containercan be recycled or parts of this be allowed to decompose.

In some countries, liquid such as milk is packaged in bags. However,these bags have little structural stability, and therefore are difficultto transport and to stack on shelves. It is known to package wine inwine boxes. These comprise a box body, typically formed of laminatedcardboard, which provides the structure for the package. A separate foilbag is provided within the box, the wine being contained within the bag.A dispensing tap is provided on the bag, and in use is arranged toprotrude through an opening in the box. For the efficient disposal ofsuch a container, it would be necessary to separate the parts made fromdifferent materials, namely the bag from the box, the dispensing tapfrom the bag, and the lamination from the cardboard forming the box.This separation of integrated components of the packaging is verydifficult. Therefore, such packages cannot be disposed of or recycledefficiently.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,427 relates to a device for storing a liquid sample,for example a sample of wastewater, water from a river or stream orliquid effluent from a commercial or manufacturing enterprise. It isdisclosed that a problem with known sample devices formed from glass orplastics material is that these must be thoroughly washed before theycan be re-used to avoid contamination between samples. To overcome thisproblem, a liquid sample storage device is disclosed comprising aliner-holder formed from a plastics material in combination with aliner. The liner-holder is able to open, for example along alongitudinal hinge, to provide access to the interior of theliner-holder to allow a liner to be positioned within and later removedfrom the liner-holder. The liner extends through an inlet neck of theliner-holder, and is held in place by a retaining ring that is providedaround the outside of the inlet neck of the liner-holder to claim theliner in place. The liner-holder is provided with vents on its top,bottom and sides to allow displacement of the air as the liner fillswith liquid.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,932 also discloses a container comprising are-usable, relatively rigid, outer container in combination with adisposable flexible bag contained within and supported by the outercontainer. According to the disclosure in this document, the bag isformed with an integral spout that can pass through an opening in theupper portion of the outer container. The spout is engageable with theupper portion of the outer container to enable the spout to be closedand to support the bag within the outer container. It is described thatthe bag, containing milk or other liquid, can be placed in the outercontainer with the spout of the bag extending through the opening in thelid of the outer container before the end of the spout is removed toopen the bag and allow the contents to be dispensed. A cap can be placedover the spout to seal this.

Egg boxes for holding a number of eggs have been formed from abiodegradable material, such as wood pulp, which is vacuum formed bysucking the liquid pulp material onto a mesh mould. Packages of thistype can be formed from a single biodegradable material. This avoidsmany of the problems associated with the disposal of the products sincethere is no need to separate components of the package. However, theamount of energy required to dry a moulded container formed from woodpulp is high, and therefore the manufacture of the containers is notwithout environmental concerns. Furthermore, such packages are not ableto contain liquid products since these will return the material formingthe package to pulp. Also, where the package is formed of recycled ornon-food standard material, it is not suitable for consumable productsthat come into direct contact with the packaging.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a general aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a container comprising a hollow shell defining the containerbody and including a dispensing aperture, and a bag or liner providedwithin the shell, the open end of the bag extending through thedispensing aperture of the shell and being secured with respect to theoutside of the shell. The bag or liner is made from a material suitablefor containing the intended contents of the container, for example beingformed from a moisture resistant or waterproof material where thecontainer is intended to contain liquid.

By providing the bag or liner within the body, with the mouth of the bagextending out of the dispensing aperture of the body and being securedwith respect to the outside of the shell, the contents of the containercan be introduced and dispensed through the dispensing aperture of thecontainer without coming into contact with any part of the hollow shell,including the inside of the dispensing aperture.

According to a particular aspect of the present invention, the hollowshell is formed from biodegradable material.

It would normally be considered that biodegradable material would not bea suitable material for forming the shell of a container, especially ifthis was to contain liquids, since liquid would cause the disintegrationof the shell. However, the provision of a bag or liner within the shellof the container means the shell will not come into contact with thecontents. This means that the hollow shell can be made from materialsnot normally considered suitable for use in containing product. Even ifthe product to be contained by the container is a liquid, the hollowshell can be made from a material that would absorb or otherwise bedamaged or destroyed by contact with liquid, since the bag will isolatethe contents of the container from the hollow shell. Furthermore, sincethe content will not come into contact with the hollow shell, even ifthe container is to contain food or drink, the hollow shell could bemade from a material that is not normally considered of food standardsince the product will be separated from the hollow shell by the bag.This means, for example, that the shell can be formed using recycledmaterial.

The shell may be formed from one or more planar sheets of material whichare folded to form the shell. However, it is preferred that the shell isformed by moulding, for example using a vacuum forming technique. Thishas the advantage that there is a much greater flexibility in theoverall shape of the hollow shell than would be the case if the shellwas formed by folding planer sheets of material. In particular, where acontainer is formed by folding one or more planer sheets of material,the overall shape of the container is generally that of a cuboid, withplaner faces. However, using vacuum forming techniques, the shell can beformed with planer and curved faces. This enables the container to beshaped as desired for aesthetic and functional purposes. For example, itis possible to provide containers having an overall shape that isparticularly attractive, or which is designed to relate to the productto be contained in the container for identification purposes, or may beprovided with a raised, recessed or embossed pattern or image. It isalso possible to shape the container so that this may be more easilyheld and manipulated by a user, for example to provide portions forgripping the container during dispensing of the contents. It is, forexample, possible to provide handle portions that may be held by theuser when dispensing the contents of the container.

It is particularly preferred that the hollow shell is formed from woodand/or paper pulp. This is an example of a biodegradable material, andis also a material that can be formed from recycled material. Forexample, paper pulp may be formed from waste newspapers. In this case,the material is both recycled and biodegradable.

Where the shell is formed from wood or paper pulp, vacuum formingtechniques similar to those used for the formation of egg boxes may beused.

In this case, it is particularly preferred that the shell is formed frompaper pulp as this will have a lower moisture content than wood pulp,and therefore will require less energy to dry out than wood pulp.

Where the shell is formed of a combustible material, such as wood and/orpaper pulp, the shell can be burnt, potentially generating electricityor other useable forms of energy.

According to a second particular aspect of the present invention, thedispensing aperture of the container is formed as a neck or spoutthrough which the bag or liner extends. In this case, the container issealed by folding or bending the spout over itself, and retaining thespout in the folded or bent configuration. As a result of the folding orbending of the spout, a nip will be formed in the spout at the point ofthe fold or bend, and this will create a seal preventing the accidentaldispensing of the contents of the container or egress into the containerthat could contaminate the contents.

The folded end of the spout may be held in place by inserting this intoan opening provided in the body of the container, by a band, clip orother mechanical fastener, or by an adhesive portion or tape provided onthe spout or body of the container. Where a clip is used, this may beprovided as a separate element to be clipped or clamped to the containerbody and spout, or may be attached to the body of the shell so that thefolded over spout clips in or behind the clip portion formed on thebody.

By suitably orientating the fold of the spout with respect to any hingeportions of the shell and/or thicker portions of the spout, the spoutcan be provided with a degree of resiliency such that the spout willrevert to its opened, extended position when removed from any retentionmechanism, such as a clip or tape. In particular, the spout portion maybe provided with a portion extending longitudinally along the spouthaving an increased or reduced thickness to provide the requiredresiliency to promote the required folding.

To assist the correct folding of the spout, and to ensure a sharp foldfor sealing, a score may be provided on the spout at the desired foldposition.

The spout may be formed integrally with the shell, but is advantageouslyformed as a separate component which is joined to the remainder of theshell.

In alternative aspects of the present invention, other mechanisms can beprovided for sealing the container. Such seals may include a plug orstopper which is removable and replaceable in the dispensing aperture ofthe container, a zipper type seal to seal the end of the bag, eitherwithin the shell of the container or outside the container, a foil orother layer which seals the dispensing opening of the container and ispeelable or otherwise removable from the opening when the contents areto be dispensed, a seal similar to the seals used on Tetra Pack (TradeMark) type containers, and a seal in an extended length of the end ofthe bag, for example achieved by twisting or scrunching the end of thebag.

In all aspect of the present invention, it is preferred that the portionof the bag or liner provided within the hollow shell has a maximuminternal volume greater than the internal volume of the shell. In thisway, when the container is filled, the hollow shell carries the loadrather than the weight of the contents being supported by the portion ofthe bag or liner within the shell which is suspended around thedispensing aperture of the container.

It is preferred that the bag or liner is secured with respect to theoutside of the shell by attaching the bag or liner to the shell at leastaround the dispensing aperture. This helps ensure that the bag or linerremains closely associated with the hollow shell at least around thedispensing aperture through which the contents of the container will bedispensed.

This also helps ensure that the bag or liner is not pulled further intothe hollow shell than desired when the container is filled which couldotherwise stretch the bag or liner undesirably on the outside of theshell, or result in additional parts of the bag or liner being leftoutside the shell, resulting in an excess of material giving a poorappearance to the outside of the container. The bag or liner may beattached by an adhesive, by tape, or by shrink wrapping where the bag orliner is heated to shrink this into contact with the outside of theshell around the dispensing opening. It will be appreciated that the bagor liner can be secured with respect to the outside of the shell inother ways, for example by attaching the bag at other positions on theoutside of the shell instead of or in addition to around the dispendingopening. Alternatively, the bag may be provided loosely around theoutside of the shell and sealed to itself to prevent its movement withrespect to the shell.

The bag or liner is advantageously provided loosely within the shellrather than attaching this to the inside of the shell over a large partof its area. This is beneficial as it may be difficult to attach the bagto the inside of the shell over a large area. Further, by providing thebag or liner loosely within the shell, the bag or liner can more easilybe removed from the shell. This is especially preferred for recyclingpurposes.

Where the dispensing aperture is defined by a neck portion or spout, itis preferred that this includes a weakened section around a portionwhere the bag is joined to the outer surface of the hollow shell,allowing the part of the neck portion distal of the weakened section andthe attached bag to be separated from the remainder of the container forremoval of the bag from the container. By providing a weakened portionin the neck or spout, when the contents of the package have beendispensed, the end of the neck can be separated from the remainder ofthe hollow shell. By pulling the separated portion of the neck or spoutfrom the remainder of the shell, the bag or liner is able to be pulledout of the shell. This leaves substantially all of the shell, other thanthe removed end of the neck or spout, as one component, with the bag orliner and small removed end portion of the neck as the other component.The two components may be disposed of or recycled separately. In oneexample, the weakened portion of the neck comprises perforations throughthe shell in the neck or spout region. Since the contents of thecontainer are contained within the inner bag, the perforations in theshell do not allow the contents to be exposed to the environment orcontaminated.

In an alternative embodiment where the bag or liner is attached to theshell, the connection between the bag or liner and the hollow shell maybe rupturable or may include other means to selectively separate the bagand shell so that the bag can be separated from the outer surface of theshell and removed from the interior of the shell. Again, the removed bagand remaining shell can be disposed of or recycled separately.

Where the hollow shell is formed from a biodegradable material, theshell may be disposed of in a landfill site, on a compost heap of thelike, and will decompose. Since the bag will be flexible, even if thisis disposed of in a landfill site, the bag will occupy a significantlysmaller volume than a conventional glass or plastics bottle.Additionally, the bag may itself be formed of a biodegradable material,and therefore this could also decompose in a similar manner to thehollow shell.

It is preferred that the hollow shell is provided with a moistureresistant covering on the outer surface. This is particularly beneficialwhere the container may be left in a wet or damp environment in whichthe structure of the container could be destroyed by moisture. Forexample, where the container is intended to hold a product that must bekept at a low temperature, there is the risk of condensation forming onthe outside of the container if the container is moved into a warmenvironment. In this case, the condensation could damage the container,and in particular its structural rigidity, if the outer surface were notmoisture resistant. Where the outer surface of the hollow shell iscovered with a moisture resistant coating, it is preferred that thiscoating is easily removable from the hollow shell for separate disposaland/or recycling. In one embodiment, the moisture resistant covering onthe outside of the container may be formed as an extension to the bagprovided loosely insider the container. In another example, the shellmay be treated, for example using seize, to give the required moistureresistant properties.

The shell may include an accelerator that helps promote the degradationof the shell after use. Alternatively or additionally, additives may beincluded which help breakdown the intended content of the container—forexample where the container is to carry oil, an additive may be includedin the bag and/or the shell which helps breakdown oil over time,increasing the recyclable properties of the container.

It is preferred that the shell is formed as an open shell which is thenfolded to form the hollow shell. This is especially beneficial where theshell is moulded.

In this way, it is easier to mould the shell than would be the case ifthe shell was moulded as a hollow component. Where the shell is folded,a hinge could be provided along any suitable side or part of the shell,for example across the bottom of the final container, along onelongitudinal side or across one side of the container. Where the shellis folded, the shell may include one or more extension portions or tabsarranged to extend over and attach to another portion of the shell toassemble the hollow shell. Other mechanisms may be provided to assistattachment or connection of the shell, for example tabs provided on onepart of the shell that are arranged to be received in slots on anotherpart of the shell, components which provide interference fits etc. As analternative or in addition to a mechanical connection between the partsof the shell, the shell may be held together by a shrink wrapped filmthat overlies the outer surface of the shell, by an adhesive or by alabel or tape. Alternatively, the shell could be formed in a number ofparts which are joined together using similar arrangements as thosedescribed above.

The shell may be formed with one or more flanges that are joinedtogether to join one or more parts of the shell. In a preferred example,one such flange may include an opening to define a handle portion forholding the container. In this case, it is especially preferred that anextension piece is provided to fold over the flange so that the handleportion has multiple thicknesses of material to provide a strong handle.The flanges may be held together with a suitable adhesive.

Where the container includes a neck or spout portion, it is advantageousthat this is formed as a separate component to the remainder of theshell and is joined to the remainder of the shell after formation. Inthis way, the neck or spout portion can be formed as a unitary portion,without any joints.

As described above, the bag is preferably provided loosely within theshell, the bag being substantially unattached to the inside of theshell. However, some parts of the bag may be attached to the inside ofthe shell, for example part of the bottom or side of the bag may beattached to the shell—for example being clamped between two parts of theshell—to ensure that the bag is positioned correctly within the shell.In this case, it is preferred that the bag includes a weakened orrupturable portion adjacent any parts joined to the shell to allow theremoval of the bag from the shell. It is particularly preferred that thebag is attached to the bottom of the shell so that, when the containeris inverted to dispense the contents of the container, the bottom of thebag is held at the bottom of the container, rather than sliding withinthe container under the influence of gravity. This greatly assists withthe efficiency of the dispensing of the contents of the container.

Whilst it is preferred that the bag or liner is formed separately fromthe shell, and is provided into the shell either before the shell isfinally assembled—for example by folding the parts of the shell orjoining the components that form the shell—or after the shell iscompleted—for example by inserting the bag or liner through an opening,such as the dispensing opening, into the shell, it will be appreciatedthat the bag or liner may be formed as part of the manufacture and/orassembly of the shell. For example, the shell may be formed and a layerof suitable material be laid on the inside of the shell. When the shellis assembled, for example by folding, the resulting two layers ofmaterial will come together and can be joined around an edge to form asealed bag. For example, the two layers of material may be joined bywelding, for example being joined between or outside a flange of theshell.

In one example, the bag or liner may be formed from a plastics material,such as polythene. Suitable materials which are certified as being offood standard include the Starpol 2000, Starpol Blown Film and Polymer2189/106 films available from Starpol RF Technologies Limited.

The containers may be formed with shapes suitable to ensure that theseare able to tessellate to maximise the number of containers that can bestored within an available space—particularly when stored on a shelf.The containers may include portions defining feet which may provideadditional strength to the container, and also help ensure that thecontainer is able to stand stably.

The dispensing aperture may be sealed in a number of ways, and ispreferably resealable. It will, however, be appreciated that resealingis not needed for all applications. Advantageously, the seal comprises atamper evidence seal, such that it can be easily determined if thecontainer has been opened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by way of example withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a container;

FIG. 1 a shows a cross section of the separate shell and liner of thecontainer in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the shell prior to assembly;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the shell after assembly;

FIG. 4A shows a side view of an alternative shell in its open conditionin solid lines, with the shell in its assembled condition shown indotted lines;

FIG. 4 b shows the top view of the shell of FIG. 4A when assembled;

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of an alternative example of a container;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show different views of the neck of the container whenclosed;

FIGS. 7A-7C show multiple views of an alternative example of a neckclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a preferred example of a container including the closure ofFIGS. 7A-7C; and,

FIG. 9 shows a further example of a container according to the presentinvention.

It will be appreciated that some or all of the features may be used indifferent aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EXAMPLE

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of the container 1 according to a firstexample of the present invention. The container 1 has a hollow shell 2which may be made from wood or paper pulp by a vacuum moulding method asdescribed in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3. In other aspectsof the invention, other materials, which may or may not be recycledand/or biodegradable may be used. The container 1 includes a neckportion 10 which defines a dispensing opening through which thecontainer can be filled, and through which the contents can bedispensed. The neck portion 10 includes a perforated section 6surrounding the neck portion 10. As will be described below, theperforated portion 6 enables the top part of the neck portion 10 to beseparated and removed from the remainder of the hollow shell 2.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the formation of the shell 2. The hollow shell 2 ispreferably formed from paper pulp. The paper pulp material is diluted sothat this can be a moulded. A mould is provided, typically in the formof a wire mesh, and the paper pulp is sucked onto the surface of themould by applying a sucking force or vacuum. After moulding thecomponent, the component is heated to evaporate the moisture, andsolidify the shell. By forming the shell from paper pulp, rather thanwood pulp, less dilution of the pulp is necessary, and therefore lessenergy is required to evaporate the moisture. As shown in FIG. 2, thehollow shell is moulded in an open condition, with the two halves 18, 19of the finished product being formed side-by-side, and connected by ahinged portion 20 that will extend along a longitudinal side of thefinal container. It will be appreciated that the hinged portion could beformed elsewhere, for example along the bottom of the shell or laterallyalong the side of the shell.

At least one of half 18 of the moulded component includes an extensiontab 22 which can be used in connecting the two halves of the shell 1.This is best shown in FIG. 3, where the two halves of the shell havebeen folded around the hinged portion 20, and where the free ends of thetwo components overlap and are joined by a suitable adhesive. It will beappreciated that the components can be attached by means other than anadhesive if required. For example, a label could be provided thatextends over the join to fix the two parts together, or the entirecontainer could be shrink wrapped to hold it together. In this case,extension tabs may not be required. Alternatively, the shell could beformed with extensions that connect without any additional means, forexample by providing an interference fit, a tab and groove or otherlocking mechanism. In a preferred example described below, the shellincludes one or more flanges which are able to be adhered to each otherwhen the shell is closed. It will be appreciated that even when thecontainer is to hold a fluid, it is not necessary for the join to befluid tight, since the contents are held within a bag provided withinthe shell. Indeed, it is advantageous that the shell is not fluid tightso that air within the shell can be displaced through the shell as thebag is filled, and that air can pass through the shell to fill thevolume as contents are dispensed from the bag. Allowing air to pass intothe volume inside the shell as the contents are dispensed from the baghelps ensure smooth dispensing of the contents. The flow of air throughthe shell may be achieved using the porosity of the shell, or byincluding a vent in the shell. In the latter case, this is provided at aposition where there is little risk of puncturing the bag.

In an alternative example, the hollow shell may be formed as a number ofseparate parts, which are placed and joined together to form thefinished, hollow, shell. In particular, the neck portion may be formedas a separate part that is joined to the remainder of the shell. This isdescribed in more detail below.

By forming the shell 2 from wood or paper pulp, the shell can easily bedisposed of, since this is a biodegradable, and therefore will decomposenaturally. However, it will be appreciated that other materials may beused, and other formation techniques may be used. For example, it may bepossible to mould the component is a single hollow component, withoutrequiring the additional steps of folding and fixing as described above.It is not necessary that the shell is formed from biodegradablematerial, although this is clearly preferred. As shown in FIG. 1, aflexible bag 4 is provided inside the hollow shell 2 of the container 1.As shown in FIG. 1 a, the bag 4 can have a maximum internal volumegreater than the internal volume of the shell. The flexible bag 4 may beformed from a suitable plastics material, such as polythene. It willthen be appreciated that where the container is to include food orbeverage, the bag 4 should be made of a material that is of foodstandard. Suitable materials which are certified as being of foodstandard include the Starpol 2000, Starpol Blown Film and Polymer2189/106 films available from Starpol RF Technologies Limited.

The open end of the bag 4 extends through the dispensing opening of thehollow shell 2, and extends over the outside of the neck portion 10. Theend of the bag 4 is connected to the neck portion 10, for example by anadhesive 8, or by tape. The connection between the bag 4 and the neck 10is provided on the portion of the neck 10 that will be removed bytearing the perforated portion 6. The main body of the bag 4 is looselyprovided within the hollow shell 2, and in particular is not attached tothe body of the hollow shell 2. If desired, the bag 4 could be attachedto the inner side of the hollow shell in the part of the neck 10 that isto be removed when the perforated portion 6 is torn.

In an alternative example, the bag may be formed as part of theformation of the shell. In this case, the shell may be formed asdescribed, and a double layer of film laid between the two parts of theshell prior to these being folded together. Prior to, as part of orafter the hollow shell is formed, a seal can be formed between the twolayers of film sealing this around a periphery to define the bag. Thissealing could be achieved by heat welding the film as part of theprocess for joining the sections of the shell, or after the shell isfolded into place.

In use, the container can be filled with liquid or other product to bepackaged by introducing this through the dispensing aperture. Thecontents are then stored in the container until they are dispensedthrough the dispensing aperture. When all the contents have beendispensed, and it is desired to dispose of the package, the end of theneck portion 10 is removed by tearing the perforated portion 6. As theend of the neck portion 10 removed from the container 1 is attached tothe end of the bag 4 by the adhesive 8, and as the remainder of the bag4 is not attached to the inside of the hollow shell 2 of the container1, the entire bag 4 can be pulled through the neck 10 of the containerand removed with the end portion. By removing the bag 4, the hollowshell 2 can be disposed of separately from the bag 4.

In some cases, it may not be necessary to provide the neck portion witha perforated or weakened section to enable removal of the bag. Forexample, the bag may be connected to the outer surface of the shell in amanner that allows this to be separated from the shell—for example byrupturing the bag or though the use of a suitable adhesive, such as apeelable adhesive. In this case, the bag can be separated from the outersurface of the shell and the remainder of the bag can be pulled fromwithin the shell.

Further still, in some aspects or examples of the invention, it may beconsidered unnecessary to remove the bag from the shell, and in thiscase there will be no need to provide a means allowing the bag to beseparated from the main body of the shell of the container.

In the preferred example, where the hollow shell is formed from abiodegradable material, the shell can be disposed of on a compost heap.The bag 4, which may not be formed of a biodegradable material, can beeither recycled, or can at least be disposed of in the most suitable wayfor such a material. It would be appreciated that the bag 4 itself couldbe formed from a material that decomposes, and in this case this couldalso be disposed of on a compost heap. In this case, the advantage ofremoving the bag 4 from the container 1 is that the two components canbe disposed of in the most suitable way. A further advantage of thepresent invention is that the shell 2 can be formed from a non-foodstandard material, which does not need to be moisture resistant, sincethey bag 4 separates the contents from the shell.

Although the bag does not need to be connected to the interior of thehollow shell, and should generally be provided loosely within the shellto ensure that the bag can be removed from the shell, it is possible forparts of the bag to be connected to the interior of the shell. Inparticular, some of the edges or bottom of the bag may be connected tothe edges or bottom of the shell. This helps ensure that when thecontents of the container are dispensed, the bag does not move aroundwithin the shell which could result in a sudden redistribution of thecontents, leading to spillage. One way to attach parts of the bag to thecontainer would be to sandwich parts of the bag between the parts of theshell, or to adhere parts of the bag to the interior of the shell with asuitable adhesive. The bag may include perforations or other weakenedportions around the points where it is attached to the shell to assistwith the removal of the bag from the shell after use.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show an alternative example of a hollow shell for use informing the container of the present invention. In this case, FIG. 4 ashows a side view the shell in its open condition in solid lines, withthe shell in its assembled condition shown in dotted lines. FIG. 4 bshows the top view of the shell when assembled. In this case it will beseen that the two sections of the shell are to be connected from cornerto corner rather than along opposed sides on the final container.

In the example shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, no flanges are provided toconnect the respective sections of the shell. Instead, in this example,a shrink wrapped moisture resistant coating is formed on the outersurface of the container, for example as shown in FIG. 5, and this actsto hold the sections of the shell together. It will be appreciated thatthe use of interlocking tabs, flanges for adhering or otherwiseattaching parts of the shell together, adhesive labels and the wrappingof the outside of the shell are suitable means of assembling the shellaccording to any aspect or example of the present invention, and anysuitable attachment means may be used.

In FIG. 5 it will be seen that the bag provided within the hollow shellis arranged to extend over the outer surface of the hollow shell toprovide a moisture resistant coating on the outer surface of thecontainer. In this case, the extended portion of the bag may be attachedto itself to fix the bag with respect to the outer surface of the shell.In this way, there does not need to be any permanent and physicalattachment of the bag to the outer surface of the shell. This may assistwhen the bag is to be removed from the shell. In particular, the bag maybe provided with a tear strip to allow the bag to be split, and thenseparated from the shell. However, it is preferred that the bag isattached to the shell at least around the dispensing opening. In theexample shown in FIG. 5, the neck portion of the shell flares outwardly.When the end of the bag is passed over the neck and remaining outerportion of the hollow shell and shrink wrapped, the bag will contractaround the narrow neck of the flanged dispensing opening, therebysecuring the bag around the dispensing opening.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show an example of a seal for the container of thepreferred embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciatedthat a conventional closure, for example a screw cap, could be used.However, there may be difficulties and limitations associated with this,for example in providing a suitable neck portion of the container toenable a screw cap to be fitted on to be neck, and also this may raisethe issues regarding the disposal of the container after use. This is aparticular problem, since different materials must be separated forefficient recycling or disposal. Therefore, if the neck includes aportion enabling this to receive a screw cap, it is likely that thiswould need to be separated from the remaining decomposable materialafter use.

Alternatively, a bung could be provided to plug the open end of the neckof the container. Such a bung should be formed from or covered by amaterial that is suitable for coming into contact with the intendedcontents of the container. For example, where the container is intendedto contain a beverage, the bung should be formed from or be covered in amaterial that is both of food standard and resistant to liquid.

In the example shown in FIG. 6 a, the neck portion of the shell isarranged to be folded over to seal the dispensing aperture of thecontainer. In particular, the end portion 34 of the neck or spout isfolded over sharply to nip the two sides of the neck at the fold 36. Tohelp facilitate the folding of the neck and the creation of a sharp nipto create the required seal, a score may be provided across the spout,ideally across the entire width of the spout, along which the spout isfolded. By folding the neck portion over, the contents of the containercan be retained within the container without requiring additional meansfor sealing the container. In this case, it is preferred that anadhesive tape 32 is used to retain the neck portion in its foldedcondition. As can be seen in FIG. 6 a, the tape 32 is attached to theend 34 of the neck, and includes an adhesive portion 30 at its otherend. This adhesive portion 30 allows the adhesive tape 32 to be adheredto a lower portion of the neck. The adhesive tape can be arranged toextend at least partially around the neck of the container to act as atamper evident seal, it being apparent when the tape has been removed orruptured to show when the container has been opened. In one example, thetape extends around the folded over neck, as shown in FIG. 6 b.

FIGS. 7A-7C show an alternative example of a seal formed by folding aneck or spout of the shell including the dispensing aperture. In thisexample, the neck 10 is formed as an extension to the shell 2 of thecontainer. The shell 2 and neck are formed from a pulp in a mouldingprocess. The neck 10 has a lower part 72 and an upper or end part 74which includes the dispensing opening. When the container is to beclosed, the upper part 74 is folded over, generally along a fold line 79with respect to the lower part 78, forming a nip 71 between the twoparts to create the seal. The end 74 is received behind a clip 70provided on the body 2 of the container to keep the container closed.

As shown in FIG. 7 a, a ridge portion 78 can be formed along the lengthof the neck. A small opening 76 is provided at the point along the ridgeportion 78 where the neck is to be folded. The neck 10 will be foldedover the hinge running along the longitudinal side of the container andneck. This provides strength to the neck and gives this some resiliency,causing the neck to try and revert to its normal position as shown inFIG. 7A for dispensing the contents of the container. The opening 76assists in permitting the folding of the neck at the desired point.

As shown in FIG. 7 b, as the end 74 of the neck 10 is folded over, thedispensing opening tends to close, and the remainder of the neck 10 isdeformed. As shown in FIG. 7 c, the end 74 can be received behind theclip 70 provided on the body of the container. In this position, theneck is bent over along a fold line producing the nip 71 which ensuresthat the container is sealed. The resilience of the neck causes the end74 to press against and be held by the clip 70. In this way, the neck 10is held in position. To open the container, the end 74 of the neck 10 ispulled from behind the clip 70. The resilience of the neck 10 will causethis to revert to the position shown in FIG. 7 a to permit dispensing ofthe contents of the container.

In the embodiments described with respect to FIGS. 7A-7C, the neckportion of the hollow shell is described as being formed with the hollowshell. However, the neck portion may be formed as a separate component,and joined to the body of the hollow shell.

When the neck portion is formed integrally with the body of the hollowshell, the neck portion of the shell will generally include a joint,fold or seam running longitudinally along at least one side of the neckportion. This is a potential point of weakness or failure of the neckportion, especially where the neck is to be folded over to seal thecontainer. By forming the neck portion separately from the remainder ofthe container, this can be formed as a unitary portion without anyjoints extending longitudinally along a side of the neck portion. Inparticular, the neck portion may be formed as a generally tubular orfrusto-conical component. If desired, the neck portion may be formedwith portions of increased or reduced thickness, for example runninglongitudinally along an outer side wall of the neck portion, to helpensure that the neck portion folds or bends in a desired manner.

The neck portion may be formed with a flange or extension member on oraround the bottle of the neck portion for connection of the neck portionto the remainder of the hollow shell. In this case, the flange orextension member may be connected to the main body of the shell byadhesive, or by a mechanical connection.

Where the neck is formed as a separate portion to the remainder of theshell, this can be attached to the shell before the bag is inserted intothe shell.

Alternatively, the neck may be provided on the bag before the bag isintroduced into the main body of the shell, the neck being positionedand joined to the shell during the introduction of the bag into theshell. Further still, the neck could be joined to the shell after thebag has been introduced into the remainder of the shell.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a container including the closurearrangement of FIGS. 7A-7C. It can be seen in this example that thecontainer includes feet 84 which can increase the structural stabilityof the container and also provide additional stability. The container isalso shaped with a recessed portion which accommodates flanges 80. Thesecan be held together by adhesive or tape, and may include additional orextension pieces that fold over the flange to increase the number oflayers of material forming the flange to increase the strength of thisportion. An opening 82 is provided in the flange 80 to provide a handle.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the spout 100 is formed as a generallyfrusto-conical moulded element from paper pulp using vacuum formingtechniques. The spout 100 is attached to the shell 90 of the containerby an adhesive attaching a flange 102 of the spout 100 to the outersurface of the shell 90 around an opening thereof. The spout 100 can beattached to the remained of the shell 90 before the bag is inserted, maybe attached after the bag has been inserted into the remainder of theshell 90 such that the open end of the bag is pulled through the spout100 after this is attached, or the bag may be provided in the spout 100before the spout 100 is attached to the remainder of the shell 90, themain body of the bag being inserted into the remainder of the shell 90as part of the attachment of the spout 100 to the remainder of the shell90. The shell 90 is also formed from paper pulp that is moulded usingvacuum forming techniques, and which is formed in an open structure witha hinge 92 joining the two halves of the shell. Flanges 94 are providedaround the three sides of each half of the shell that are not joined bythe hinge 92. The two halves of the shell are folded about the hinge 92to bring the flanges 94 into facing engagement, and these are adhered toeach other to form the shell. The joined flanges 94 have an opening 96to act as a handle, and a recess 98 towards the top of the containerthat can receive the end. of the spout 100 when this is folded over toclose the container by forming a nip in the spout 100. The spout 100includes a lateral score 104 across its width to facilitate the foldingof the spout 100 to create a sharp crease to seal the container. A bagis provided within the shell 90. The bottom of the bag is attached tothe bottom of the shell 90, and the open end of the bag extendingthrough the opening of the main body of the shell and through the openend of the spout 100, the bag being attached to the outside of the spout100 by an adhesive or tape. When the contents of the container are to bedispensed, the container is tipped up or inverted so that the contentspass through the open neck of the bag in the spout 100. As the bottom ofthe bag is held in the bottom of the shell 90, the contents are able tobe dispensed without risk that the bag folds over or crumples within theshell 90 trapping some of the contents. When the contents have beendispensed, the attachment of the bag to the outer surface of the spout100 can be ruptured or otherwise split to separated the bag from theouter surface of the spout 100. The bag can then be pulled from thecontainer and be disposed of separately from the shell, the pulling ofthe bag from the shell separating the connection between the bottom ofthe bag and the bottom of the shell.

1. A container comprising a hollow shell defining the container body andincluding a dispensing aperture, and a bag or liner provided within theshell, the open end of the bag extending through the dispensing apertureof the shell and being secured with respect to the outside of the shell,the hollow shell formed from a recycled and/or biodegradable material,the shell being moulded as an open shell which is folded to form thehollow shell or in which the shell is formed from a plurality ofseparate elements which are joined together to form the hollow shell. 2.A container according to claim 1, in which the hollow shell is formedfrom wood pulp or paper pulp.
 3. A container according to claim 2, inwhich the hollow shell is formed by vacuum forming the wood pulp orpaper pulp.
 4. A container according to claim 1 including a zipper typeseal to seal the end of the bag.
 5. A container according to claim 1, inwhich the dispensing aperture includes a spout or neck portion, thespout or neck portion being arranged to be folded over to create a sharpfold or nip to seal the container.
 6. A container according to claim 5,in which the spout or neck portion is arranged to be held in place byinserting this into an opening provided in the body of the container, bya band or clip, or by an adhesive portion or tape provided on the neckor body of the container.
 7. A container according to claim 6, includinga clip attached to the body of the shell so that the folded over spoutor neck portion clips in or behind the clip to hold this in the folded,sealed, position.
 8. A container according to any one of claim 5, inwhich the spout or neck portion is resilient to cause this to revert toits opened, extended position when removed from any retention mechanism.9. A container according to claim 1, in which the portion of the bag orliner provided within the hollow shell has a maximum internal volumegreater than the internal volume of the shell.
 10. A container accordingto claim 1, in which the bag or liner is secured with respect to theoutside of the shell by attaching the bag or liner to the shell at leastaround the dispensing aperture.
 11. A container according to claim 10,in which the bag or liner is attached by an adhesive, by tape, or byshrink wrapping.
 12. A container according to claim 1, in which the bagor liner is provided loosely within the shell.
 13. A container accordingto claim 12, in which the bag or liner is connected to the inside of thehollow shell at discrete positions.
 14. A container according to claim13, in which the bag or liner includes rupturable portions aroundpositions where the bag or liner is connected to the interior of theshell.
 15. A container according to claim 1, in which the dispensingaperture is defined by a spout or neck portion which includes a weakenedsection around a portion where the bag or liner is joined to the outersurface of the hollow shell, allowing the part of the spout or neckportion distal of the weakened section and the attached bag or liner tobe separated from the remainder of the container for removal of the bagor liner from the container.
 16. A container according to claim 1, inwhich the connection between the bag or liner and the outer surface ofthe hollow shell is rupturable so that the bag or liner can be separatedfrom the outer surface of the shell and removed from the interior of theshell.
 17. A container according to claim 1, in which the bag or lineris formed of a biodegradable material.
 18. A container according toclaim 1, in which the hollow shell is provided with a moisture resistantcovering on the outer surface.
 19. A container according to claim 1, inwhich the shell includes an accelerator that helps promote thedegradation of the shell after use.
 20. A container according to claim1, in which the container includes a spout or neck portion that isformed separately from the remainder of the shell.
 21. A containeraccording to claim 1, in which the shell includes at least one extensionportion, tab or similar feature arranged to extend over and attach toanother portion of the shell to assemble the hollow shell.
 22. Acontainer according to claim 1, in which the shell includes one or moreflanges that are joined together to join one or more parts of the shell.23. A container according to claim 22, in which the flange includes anopening to define a handle portion for holding the container.
 24. Acontainer according to claim 23, in including an extension piecearranged to be folded over the flange so that the handle portion hasmultiple thicknesses of material to provide a strong handle.